Facing allegations of sexual assault, Virginia's Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax is experiencing some of the fallout as the Commonwealth continues to be involved in controversy. Veuer's Justin Kircher has more.
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RICHMOND, Va. – Virginia House Republicans have announced plans to hold a public hearing where Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax and the two women who have recently accused him of sexual assault can testify, a move that will likely inflame a partisan battle over the General Assembly’s role in investigating the allegations.

Republican Del. Rob Bell said Friday that the House Courts of Justice Committee will invite Vanessa Tyson, Meredith Watson and Fairfax at an unnamed future hearing date.

“This will give all parties a chance to be heard,” Bell said in brief remarks on the House floor.

He added that Republicans believe they have a duty to investigate the allegations made against the lieutenant governor, who is first in line to replace the governor in the event of a vacancy.

Democrats have said they don’t believe the General Assembly is the best place to investigate the allegations at this time and said they don’t want to impede possible criminal investigations.

Earlier this month, Tyson publicly accused Fairfax of forcing her to perform oral sex in his hotel room during the Democratic National Convention in Boston in 2004. Her lawyer said last week that Tyson plans to meet with prosecutors in Massachusetts to detail her allegations.

“Rather than have the cart before the horse, there should be the criminal process – have it play itself out – because it’s going to make the political response appropriate to the circumstances,” Democratic Del. Joe Lindsey said Friday morning, before the Republicans made their announcement.

Meredith Watson also publicly accused Fairfax of sexual assault after Tyson came forward. Watson issued a statement accusing him of raping her 19 years ago while they were students at Duke University.

Watson said Friday that she is “gratified” by the Republicans’ offer and looks forward to testifying, according to a statement issued by her attorney, Nancy Erika Smith.

The Associated Press generally does not name people who say they are victims of sexual assault, but both women have come forward voluntarily.

Fairfax has emphatically denied both accusations. He’s vowed to clear his name against what he described as a “vicious and coordinated smear campaign” being orchestrated against him. The lieutenant governor in Virginia is largely a ceremonial role but is first in line to become governor if there’s a vacancy.

The accusations against Fairfax surfaced during an unprecedented time of turmoil in Virginia politics earlier this month. Gov. Ralph Northam and Attorney General Mark Herring, both Democrats, have separately faced calls to resign after acknowledging they dressed in blackface decades ago. Both have indicated they also plan to remain in office.

Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, center right, speaks to the media in the rotunda at the Capitol in Richmond, Va., Monday. He suddenly looms as the successor to Gov. Ralph Northam, whose political future is in jeopardy after a blackface photo was discovered on Northam's personal page in his medical school yearbook. Steve Helber/AP

Fairfax, front right, is escorted from a press conference at the Capitol in Richmond, Va., Monday, The Ivy League-educated lawyer and presiding officer in Virginia's Senate would become the state's second African-American governor should Ralph Northam resign over a racist photo on his 1984 medical school yearbook page. Steve Helber/AP

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam delivers his State of the Commonwealth address as Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, top left, House Speaker Kirk Cox, R-Colonial Heights, top center, and Senate President Pro Tem Stephen Newman, R-Botetourt, applaud during a joint session of the Virginia Legislature in the House chambers at the Capitol in Richmond, Va., on Jan. 9, 2019. Steve Helber/AP

In this Thursday Oct. 5, 2017 photo Fairfax gestures during a debate with Republican Virginia State Sen. Jill Vogel, at the University of Richmond. Fairfax, a former federal prosecutor, and Vogel, a state senator from Fauquier County, are running for lieutenant governor in next month’s election. The post that offers few formal duties other than breaking ties in the state Senate but invariably serves as a launching post for future gubernatorial runs. Steve Helber/AP

Fairfax, a Democrat, stepped off the rostrum in the Virginia Senate as a member paid tribute to Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee on Jan.18, in Richmond, Va. For the last two legislative sessions, Fairfax has left the podium when the Senate adjourned in honor of Gen. Robert E. Lee's birthday. Laura Vozzella,The Washington P, Laura Vozzella, The Washington P

Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, center, stands with the Rev. Robert W. Lee IV, right, and the great-great-great-great grandnephew of Gen. Robert E. Lee and Dr. Warren Christian, left, the great-great grandson of Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson, on the South Portico of the State Capitol on Jan. 21, 2019. BOB BROWN, AP

Fairfax presides over the Senate at the Capitol in Richmond, Va., Monday, Feb. 4, 2019. Virginians are now taking a closer look at Fairfax as he suddenly looms as the successor to Gov. Ralph Northam. Steve Helber, AP

Fairfax, right, gets a hug from State Sen. Jill Vogel, R-Fauquier, left, after he presided over his first Senate session at the Capitol in Richmond, Va., on Jan. 15, 2018. Vogel lost last year's election to Fairfax. Steve Helber, AP